Comprehensive analysis of hydrological and glacial dynamics in the Himalayas: addressing glacial lake outburst flood risks in hydropower development

Isly Issac, N. K. Goel, Wolfgang Schwanghart and Manohar Arora ()
Additional contact information
Isly Issac: Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
N. K. Goel: Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Wolfgang Schwanghart: University of Potsdam
Manohar Arora: Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2025, vol. 121, issue 5, No 18, 5588 pages

Abstract: Abstract In the Indian Himalayas, the rapid development of hydroelectric projects leverages perennial water sources but raises concerns regarding the safety of these installations in the face of climate change. This study investigates the Bajoli-Holi Hydroelectric Project on the River Ravi, focusing on the potential impacts of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) alongside inflow design floods on spillway capacity. Given the high likelihood of breaching in moraine-dammed lakes near glacier snouts, our analysis employs advanced hydrodynamic modelling and hydro-meteorological assessments to evaluate the combined flood risks. Utilizing Arc-GIS for catchment delineation and the MIKE 11 model for sensitivity analysis, we emphasize the need for integrated flood risk management strategies in the design phase of hydropower projects. The findings in the study area of Bajoli-Holi dam highlight the critical importance of accounting for GLOFs in spillway capacity assessments in addition to the inflow design flood, to enhance the hydrological security of these essential energy infrastructures.

Keywords: Breach; Design flood; GLOF; Himalayas; Hydroelectric; River Ravi; Probable maximum flood (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11069-024-07042-w Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:121:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1007_s11069-024-07042-w

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11069

DOI: 10.1007/s11069-024-07042-w

Access Statistics for this article

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards is currently edited by Thomas Glade, Tad S. Murty and Vladimír Schenk

More articles in Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards from Springer, International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().